Mayor Dean Trefethen serves his last City Council meeting as mayor Wednesday evening in Dover. (John Huff/Staff photographer)

DOVER — Mayor Dean Trefethen bid farewell during Wednesday night’s City Council meeting, the final one he will preside over as mayor.

Earlier this month, Trefethen announced his decision to resign from his position a few months short of the end of his term. At the time, Trefethen said he and his wife had an out-of-state opportunity they weren’t able to pass up.

“I want to thank people, members of the council for 10 really good years, overall,” a visibly emotional Trefethen said. “I want to thank my family, who is here tonight. I couldn’t have done it without them. Thank you.”

Trefethen was elected mayor of the Garrison City in 2011 when former Mayor Scott Meyers left office. He was then re-elected in November 2011. Before that, Trefethen served for nearly a decade on the City Council. He was also a member of the city’s Board of Industrial and Economic Development.

The City Council presented Trefethen with a proclamation of thanks and a memorial chair as a parting gift.

“It takes a real special person that gives so much of his time to the city,” Councilor Karen Weston said. “May all your dreams come true.”

Each city councilor passed along their best wishes to Trefethen, thanking him for his dedication and service to the Garrison City over many years.

“I think people do not realize the amount of time and energy and anguish over doing the right thing that people who serve in public go through,” Councilor Dorothea Hooper said. “It’s a long, long time to serve. Thank you so much, Dean.”

Deputy Mayor Robert Carrier praised Trefethen for his experience and knowledge, thanking him for his guidance in helping direct city policy.

“He took me under his wing,” Carrier said. “It was almost like Ask Jeeves. I can’t thank you enough for what you have done for this city.”

Councilor Mike Crago said that experience is going to be hard to replace.

“It’s about people respecting each other and doing what’s best for Dover,” Trefethen said, adding that he hopes he was able to leave it a better place than when he started. “Dover’s changed a lot. It’s always constant change. We have an incredibly seasoned and professional city staff that do an amazing job.”

With the Nov. 5 municipal election approaching, the City Council has a few options as far as filling the post of mayor until inaugurations in January. Deputy Mayor Carrier could take over the role for the interim period or the council could appoint someone to serve out the term. Another option would be to swear in the mayor-elect following November’s election. Councilor Weston and School Board chair Rocky D’Andrea are the two candidates for the position this fall. Joyal said it will be up to the council to determine the best course of action moving forward.

On the agenda, the City Council approved the sale of the old National Guard Armory building on Oak Street to a local business. The building and property, approximately 5.5 acres, will be sold to Paintworks Unlimited, LLC. According to the sales agreement, the purchase price of the property, which has been under city control since late 2011, is $656,000 and an additional $65,000 deposit. The city is required to remove a 3,000 gallon, underground steel storage tank.

City Manager Mike Joyal said in addition to keeping a business in Dover and moving a property onto the city’s tax rolls, the sale will also promote job growth.

“One of the conditions of the financing is that additional jobs will be created,” Joyal said.

The City Council also approved the modification of the action plan and expenditures for the fiscal year 2014 Community Development Block Grant Entitlement. Planning Director Chris Parker said the city, which is an Entitlement Community, received more funds than expected from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The grant from HUD was $58,268 more than the amount anticipated by the city, which based their estimates off previous years, Parker said.

According to agenda material, the CDBG entitlement grants go toward the goal of improving housing and employment opportunities for low-income people and improving or expanding public facilities and services.